Offshore Oil And Gas Platforms Emit Methane Twice As Much As Expected

According to a new study from the University of Michigan, offshore energy production platforms emit twice as much methane.

Enterprises around the world emit significantly less methane than carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – while the greenhouse effect of the former is 84 times higher. Some researchers suggest that about 25% of the anthropogenic impact on climate comes from methane emissions.

This involves not only industrial enterprises, but also the agricultural and resource sectors. In a new work, researchers focused on emissions from oil and gas offshore platforms that are installed at sea. In particular, scientists investigated methane emissions during their operation.

Offshore production accounts for about a third of the world’s oil and gas, and these plants both discharge methane into the ocean and release it into the atmosphere.

In a new study, scientists conducted an analysis of the emissions of several offshore platforms from the air, and also compared the information obtained with existing emission data.

The work showed that the largest amount of emissions is in objects located in shallow water. However, platforms located at great depths release much more methane into the atmosphere than previously thought.